Dr Shah was charged with 65 counts of assault by penetration, 52 counts of sexual assault and one sexual assault on a girl aged under 13.[2]

The offences were alleged to have occurred at a GP practice between June 2004 and July 2013 and related to 54 victims. The charges followed a long-running investigation.

He appeared in court again on the 27th September 2017[3]. He appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court for plea and trial preparation. He was granted conditional bail at that time. Dr Shah came before the court again on the 10th November when he stood accused of 119 sexual offences. There is now an additional count of assault by penetration and a further victim[4]. The judge set a provisional trial date to commence on the 24 September 2018, at the Old Bailey. It is estimated the case may last 4 months.

Fear of coming forward after sexual abuse has occurred

Children often lack the language to explain what has happened to them –children don’t necessarily understand when their physical consent has been violated, and don’t know the language to talk about their genitalia. According to a major study, “due to the specific traumatic characteristics of child sexual abuse, children will often delay disclosing abuse or altogether fail to disclose during childhood, deny abuse when asked, and often recant abuse allegations[5]”. This was demonstrated in an NSPCC focus group study of 56 of Jimmy Saville’s victims in 2013[6]. When asked whether they reported the abuse by Saville at the time it happened, many stated that they failed to realise what was happening to them was ‘sexual’ in nature, as their understanding and knowledge of sexual behaviour was limited. This was especially true of those who had suffered sexual abuse in the 1960s and 1970s, who said at that time, abuse was not openly acknowledged or discussed. They had never heard the word ‘paedophile’, and feared that they would be viewed as ‘bad’ or ‘to blame’ as children.

If the person is in a position of power or is famous, victims doubt they will be believed – in the case ofDr Shah and David Trainer, both these men were in a position of trust and authority. The deterring effect of an abuser’s power was clearly highlighted in the NSPCC report which stated that when asked why they did not report the abuse they had suffered at the hands of Saville at the time it occurred, an overwhelming majority said it was because they feared they would not be believed. “Jimmy Savile was a powerful and influential adult, who was seen as a ‘charitable, good guy’, raising a lot of money for charity” the report stated. It went on to say, “This led to feelings of helplessness and inferiority in his victims, who felt there was no way that their word, would have been believed over his. This was true for those victims who had been adults when they were abused, as well as for those who were children”.

Many victims, especially older teenagers (16-17-year olds) fear going to the police or court. According to a report by the Children’s Society, entitled, ‘Seriously Awkward[7]’, many support services who could assist young adults in reporting sexual abuse lack awareness of the needs of this age group, often having a “they are old enough to look after themselves attitude”. The report also identified clear gaps in legislation to protect young adults. For example, the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 does not include 16–17-year olds in protection from child cruelty, despite other laws reflecting the determination in Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that a person is a child up to the age of 18 years. It is therefore, perhaps unsurprising, that 16-17-year-old sexual abuse victims have a distrust of authority, especially if they lack support at home.

Our personal injury team, led by Malcolm Underhill, has the expertise and knowledge to advise and represent you if you wish to make a claim following sexual or physical abuse. To talk about how we might be able to help, please phone us on 0333 123 9099, email us at enquiries@ibbclaims.co.uk or fill in our contact form. Any discussions you have with us will be in the strictest of confidence and handled with the utmost sensitivity.

The information contained within our Blog Articles is provided as general information only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice or seek to be an exhaustive statement of the law and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. For further details, please see our terms of use policy.

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